1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a newly designed ear thermometer, and more particularly, to an ear thermometer with a rotatable and revolvable detector probe.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An ear thermometer for measuring human body temperature mainly comprises a thermometer gun body; a detector probe fixedly connected to the front end of the gun body, and which is suitable for plugging into the human external auditory canal; a liquid crystal display (LCD); and, an electronic erasable and programmable ROM, By measuring the temperature of the human tympanic membrane with the infrared ray inductive detector probe, an input signal is digitalized by a micro processor provided in the thermometer gun body, and compared with a calibrated datum stored in the ROM, thereby outputting a confirmed value of the measured temperature to the LCD for displaying.
As it is mentioned above, the detector probe of a conventional ear thermometer is fixedly connected to the front end of the gun body so that sensing devices such as a wave guide and an infrared ray inductor can be installed therein. This immovably tilted detector probe may sometimes be difficult to plug into a patient""s external auditory canal. For instance, when the ear of the patient is hindered by bed cloths or a pillow; or the available access to the emerged inlet of the patient""s external auditory canal does not correspond to the fixed inclination angle of the detector probe, the detector probe may not be sufficiently inserted into the ear, especially to an infant""s ear, without causing possible damage. Moreover, such a conventional detector probe may also be dangerous for use with a hyper child or a person of abnormal or weakened mental state who many respond with strong refusal and thereby cause accidental damage to the ear,
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ear thermometer with a three dimensionally rotatable detector probe which may be smoothly and securely plugged into the external auditory canal of a patient in spite of its emerging state.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an ear thermometer with a three dimensionally revolvable detector probe which when being plugged into the patient""s ear, is adaptively displaceable so as to avoid puncturing any tissue of the patient""s ear in case the operator encounters resistance, In order to achieve the above objects and other advantages, the ear thermometer with a rotatable and revolvable detector probe of the present invention for measuring and displaying the human tympanic membrane temperature comprises a thermometer body; a detector probe having an arcuate neck portion pluggable into the human external auditory canal; and a connecting device for rotatably and revolvably connecting the detector probe to the thermometer body, the connection is carried out by an inwardly deflectable clastomer having an arcuate skirt portion which accommodates an arctuate neck portion of the detector probe in such manner that the detector probe is universally revolvable with respect to the thermometer body. The detector probe can be easily plugged into the patients external auditory canal, no matter how oriented.